Instructional Design Strategies

Overview

Grade Level: Middle School
Subject Area: English Language Development
Number of Students (average): 22-30
Years of Teaching: 5

Description

Answer the following questions as if you were giving advice to a student teacher.

How would I introduce a discussion of my approach to instructional design?			I would speak to this teacher about a concern that I've heard other teachers raise about the instructional calendar that our district uses. Some teachers feel that because we have essential performance objectives, we are only teaching to those objectives. Units then become a 2-week unit on characterization, a 2-week unit on plot, etc. Thematic units, though, aren't out of the question, and often our students rely on common themes in order to make sense of the content we try to teach.
What are my resources for designing units and lessons?			We follow a district calendar that lists the dates of instruction for essential performance objectives as well as common formative assessments on those performance objectives. Also, each essential objective has a curriculum document that lists big ideas, essential questions, and curriculum materials that relate to that objective. The district literature curriculum is fairly rich and rigorous, especially when it comes to the short stories that are included. The internal district resources for vocabulary development and leading student discussions is excellent and should be incorporated into every lesson.
What do I generally do first?			I first check the district calendar to see what objectives I'm required to teach and what assessments I'm required to give to my students. I think about how these objectives are related and what sort of thematic unit might help the students make sense of them. I also think about what other state standards relate to these ideas and how they would fit into the bigger picture of a unit. In addition to the common formative assessments that I'm required to give, I think about what sort of ongoing, portfolio-type assessment I can give my student that will sum up the overall learning I want to happen during the unit. I look at the time I have to teach, break the unit down into daily lessons (daily objectives, daily formatives), and check to see that my daily lessons cover: a) essential objectives b) additional objectives c) big ideas that I developed in my year-long plan d) essential questions that I developed in my year-long plan e) time necessary for students to complete portfolio-type assessment
How do I interact with the standards?			I've found I'm a better teacher when I make an attempt to internalize my standards, so I spend time before the year starts developing a year-long plan. Also, I've found the work that our district has done with the standards is helpful -- teachers from the district identified the level of thought to which each standard asks us to teach. When I become frustrated with the standards, it's because I've found one that doesn't seem to fit in and relate to any of the others and I find myself feeling like it has to be taught in isolation (which means I often wait until the end of the year to teach it and sometimes don't even get to it).
What are my constraints and how do I respond to them?			Our district curriculum isn't as strong as I'd like it to be in its inclusion of novels and longer texts. I have 5 computers in my classroom, but I need each student to have his or her own laptop to really do what I want to do with my students. I've found class sets of novels that relate somewhat to what I'm teaching but am moving toward literature circles next year. I'm working on a grant for a mobile lab.
How do I approach student assessment?			I develop formative assessments for each lesson, use district-required common formative assessments, and include portfolio-type assessments in each unit. I ask students to track their own achievement on the following items: CFA results, Benchmark Results, State test results, fluency, and self-chosen SMART goals.
How do I approach post-assessment?			I give a CFA (b) to students and reflect on student portfolios.
How do I approach self-assessment?			When I'm on my game I jot down notes at the end of every day (I have to use my favorite Field Notes memo book, otherwise I can't get excited about doing this). I force myself to take part in professional development (career ladder, National Board Certification, Teach for America opportunities) to stay involved.
What are areas I would like to learn more about and/or become better at?			I'd like to become a more efficient planner. I don't teach at the top of my game 180 days each year, but I'd like to. When I plan thoroughly, I'm happier with the results and see more student achievement. But when I plan thoroughly at the expense of time with my family and time at the gym, I become more impatient with my students than I want to be, make more mistakes in class than I should be, and find that I have to rebuild my relationship with them.
What final advice would I give about my approach to instructional design?			Don't just listen to 1 teacher and adopt what he or she does. Ask as many teachers as you can because you'll compile many more tips AND there's a good chance someone else plans in a way that better matches your style.